Eat & drink · 9 min read
The best restaurants in Paphos, by an honest local
Fifteen restaurants in Paphos that earn the booking — by neighbourhood, by appetite, with the dishes worth ordering and the ones to skip.
Paphos’s food scene splits neatly into three: the harbour-front cluster where cruise excursions disembark (mostly skippable), the old town up the hill where the most ambitious cooking lives (essential), and the residential expat areas to the north where the British community has shaped a different kind of dining (worth knowing about).
This guide is the version we’d hand a friend who’d just landed. Fifteen restaurants, by neighbourhood, with what to order and what to skip. Updated May 2026.
Old Town (Ktima) — the serious cooking
The hill above Kato Paphos contains the city’s most interesting food. Less touristy, more locals, kitchens with actual ambition.
01. 7 St Georges Tavern (Geroskipou, 10 minutes east of central Paphos)
The most ambitious restaurant in the wider Paphos district. Husband-and-wife operation in a converted village house — George Demetriades cooks, Lara Demetriades fronts the room. Ten-to-twelve-course tasting menus built around what came out of the family garden or the morning market. Food obsessives drive from Limassol for this.
Order: the tasting menu (no à la carte). Budget: €60-80 a head. Book: 1-2 weeks ahead, especially for weekends.
02. To Anamma
Stone-walled, terrace-shaded ouzeri behind the old town. Octopus charcoal-grilled, halloumi from a small mountain dairy, koupepia better than your grandmother’s. The wine list is short but every bottle is Cypriot and the owner has tasted all of them.
Order: the meze for two over two hours; specifically the octopus and the village salad. Budget: €25-35 a head with wine. Book: 2-3 days ahead.
03. Hondros Restaurant
A Paphos institution since 1953. Three generations of the same family. Traditional Cypriot cooking that hasn’t changed in fifty years because it doesn’t need to. The kleftiko (slow-roasted lamb in foil) is the dish to order.
Order: kleftiko, koupepia, halloumi-stuffed vegetables. Budget: €25-35. Book: not normally needed but advisable on weekend evenings.
04. Laona Restaurant
Tiny, family-run, lunchtime only (closed evenings). The most authentic souvla in Paphos — pork and chicken cooked over carob-wood charcoal in the back yard. Locals queue.
Order: souvla mixed grill, village potatoes, retsina if you’re brave. Budget: €15-22. Book: walk-in only.
Kato Paphos — the harbour and archaeological park area
The cruise-port end of town. Many tourist traps; a few genuine standouts.
05. Argo Restaurant
Looks like it could be a tourist trap from the outside — long laminated menu, a kindly old proprietor outside waving at passers-by — but it isn’t. Family-run since 1972; the kleftiko is the dish that built its reputation.
Order: kleftiko (slow-roasted lamb in foil) — it needs to be ordered when you arrive as it’s slow-cooked, so plan for a longer meal. Budget: €25-35. Book: 1-2 days ahead in season.
06. Theo’s Seafood Restaurant
The fish restaurant locals send their visiting cousins to. No menu — they bring out what’s been landed that morning, you pick by sight, they grill it whole. Long-running, family-owned, on the harbour but on the locals’ side.
Order: whatever’s fresh, grilled whole. The calamari is also exceptional. Budget: €35-50 with wine. Book: sea-facing table 3-4 days ahead.
07. Mavros Tavern
Small, mostly Cypriot clientele, traditional menu without surprises but executed reliably. The kind of place where the owner remembers you between visits.
Order: souvla, fish meze, village salads. Budget: €20-30. Book: walk-in OK mid-week.
08. Ouzeri Pikan-Tikon
Newer (opened 2019) but quickly become a local favourite. Modern interpretations of mezze, an actual cocktail list, late hours.
Order: the mezze tasting selection, the cocktail menu. Budget: €30-40. Book: weekends, yes.
Coral Bay & Chloraka — the expat north coast
Twenty minutes north of central Paphos, where the British community shapes a slightly different food culture. More steaks, more roasts, but also some genuinely good Cypriot spots.
09. Mandra Tavern
The closest thing to a perfect family taverna on the north coast. Outdoor terrace under mulberry trees, mezze for two that comes on twenty-three plates, an owner who’ll bring you complimentary loukoumades for dessert. Open year-round, family-friendly, large group-friendly.
Order: the meze for two. Budget: €20-30. Book: especially in summer.
10. The Cyprus Tavern (Coral Bay)
Polished, more upmarket than Mandra, fish-heavy menu with serious wine list. Sea-view terrace.
Order: whole grilled fish, the wine pairings. Budget: €35-50. Book: yes.
11. Cavallini Restaurant (Peyia)
Genuinely surprising find — Italian-Cypriot fusion in a quiet residential area. Hand-made pasta, Cypriot ingredients. Run by a Cypriot trained in Bologna.
Order: the daily pasta special, anything with truffles in season (autumn). Budget: €40-55. Book: 2-3 days ahead.
Geroskipou & inland — village places worth the drive
12. Bunch of Grapes Inn (Pissouri, 30 minutes east)
Stone-walled village restaurant in a small hilltop village. The kind of place you discover in October when the wine country starts to feel quiet and rewarding. Family-run, traditional, excellent wine list.
Order: souvla, lamb stifado, village wine. Budget: €25-35. Book: weekends.
13. Stou Kir Yianni (Omodos, 50 minutes east — Krasochoria)
Traditional wine village taverna. Mezze under mulberry trees in the village square. The classic “drive out for lunch, taste wines, drive back” experience.
Order: mezze for two; the village’s own wine. Budget: €25-35. Book: weekends in season.
Modern / international
14. Notios (Coral Bay area)
Genuinely modern Mediterranean — sea bass with za’atar crust, lamb with pomegranate, the kind of cooking you might find in Beirut or Tel Aviv. Not Cypriot in the traditional sense but excellent.
Order: the chef’s tasting menu if available. Budget: €45-60. Book: weekend evenings.
15. Almyra Hotel — Mosaics Restaurant (Kato Paphos seafront)
Hotel restaurant that earns a mention on its own terms. Pan-Mediterranean, beautifully presented, sea view, breakfasts that justify going even if you’re not staying.
Order: brunch on a Sunday; the seafood platter at dinner. Budget: €60-80. Book: yes.
What we’d skip
- The cluster of harbour-front restaurants between the castle and Tombs of the Kings Road where waiters stand outside waving menus. The food has been sitting all morning.
- “Cypriot Night with Bouzouki” themed restaurants — they’re for cruise excursions. Genuine evenings happen in normal restaurants.
- The big international chain restaurants in the resort hotel strip. Better food and better value in town.
- Anything within 50 metres of the cruise terminal that wasn’t on this list. Hard rule.
By appetite
| Mood | First choice |
|---|---|
| Special occasion dinner | 7 St Georges or To Anamma |
| Family-friendly mezze | Mandra Tavern |
| Whole grilled fish | Theo’s |
| Classic kleftiko | Argo or Hondros |
| Lunch only, authentic souvla | Laona |
| Wine country evening | Stou Kir Yianni (Omodos) |
| Modern/upscale | Notios or Cavallini |
When to book
- Friday and Saturday evenings: book 3-7 days ahead for everything on this list.
- Sunday lunch: a Cypriot institution; book at least 2-3 days ahead.
- Tuesday-Thursday: walk-ins are usually possible at most places.
- Peak summer (July-August): book everything, even mid-week. Aim for a 2-week lead time on the top tier.
A typical Paphos food day
Morning espresso at any of the Old Town kafenia. Lunch at Laona (souvla and a beer). Afternoon at a beach or the Tombs of the Kings. Aperitivo at one of the harbour-front bars that doesn’t serve food (focus on the view). Dinner at To Anamma. Late-night drinks at Pikan-Tikon. Repeat in different combinations across the week.
Next steps
- Things to do in Paphos — the broader picture.
- Best beaches in Cyprus — where to swim between meals.
- Cyprus in October — the best month for restaurants when prices are low and tables are easy.